Anthem gameplay reveal teases flying, monster-fighting BioWare action

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After a tease during the EA showcase on Saturday, the first full gameplay trailer for Anthem, BioWare's newest franchise, debuted at the Microsoft Xbox E3 2017 presentation. The full trailer showed off much more of the dystopian world of Anthem, from their wall to the monsters and the armor that protects the player characters.

The world premiere gameplay footage didn't start in the middle of a battle. Instead in the middle of a market. You're addressed as "Freelancer," a female player character in first person. The Freelancers pilot just-over-human-sized mech suits with different classifications, like "Colossus" and "Ranger," exo-suits called "Javelins." You can own multiple versions of these and upgrade/customize them as you play. The game is meant to be explored with friends, in a vast open world. The initial idea that this game would have some Destiny feel to it seems confirmed by the footage, especially the focus on team play. The player we watch -- in third person for combat -- dives into the water and flanks a group of enemies while her friend dives down with a thundering smash in his heavy suit.

When another player or AI (it's fairly unclear here) calls for help, the pair already playing together goes to help, showing off some heavy weaponry.

This is, of course, just the early core gameplay of Anthem, meant to give a general idea of how portions of the game will play. Knowing BioWare, there's a lot more in store for the game beyond this already intriguing first look. Check out the trailer below, which features drop-in play, missions and a stormy finale. Anthem will hit PC, Xbox One and PS4 in fall 2018.